Resuscitative device



Dec. 13, 1966 G. H. VIZNEAU 3,291,121

RESUSCITATIVE DEVICE Filed Aug. 29, 1963 INVENTOR. GORDON H V/ZA/EAU ,4 7 TOAA/EV United States Patent 3,291,121 RESUSCITATIVE DEVICE Gordon H. Vizneau, 3612 W. Laskey Road, Toledo, Ohio Filed Aug. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 305,294 Claims. (Cl. 128-145.7)

This invention relates to a resuscitator and especially to one that is portable and can be operated by one person in an effective manner to revive patients suffering from a lack of oxygen in their lungs.

Many resuscitators have been devised in the past; however, most of these require an elaborate piece of apparatus and at least two persons to operate the apparatus.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, portable device which can be operated by a sole person in an effective manner to revive a patient suffering from lack of oxygen.

It is also an object to provide an apparatus which can be operated with one hand which will free the other hand of the operator to cradle the head of the patient or otherwise facilitate recovery of the patient.

It is a further object to provide an apparatus that is easy to operate and not readily broken by rough handling or an inept use by an inexperienced operator.

A compact, rugged, easily operated resuscitator has been provided as will be better understood with reference to the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a view of the resuscitator in position for use;

FIGURE 2 is a view partly in section of the apparatus;

FIGURE 3 is a view of the mouthpiece and nose-clamp, parts being in section, including a mask for the mouth;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a mouthpiece having a single tube and inlet;

FIGURE 5 is a view in section of a tube manifold which uses a single opening and is to be used in conjunction with the mouthpiece of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a view in section of the mouthpiece; and

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view on line 7-7 of FIG- URE 6.

This apparatus includes a bulb and valve assembly 10, a mouthpiece 11 and an interconnecting hose assembly 12. The bulb and valve assembly, see FIGURE 2, consists of a rigid housing 13 which encloses two pairs of check valves that control flow of air or other fluid such as oxygen or the like through the housing. The assembly also consists of a bulb within a bulb; these bulbs are deflatable when pressure is exerted upon them. After they are collapsed, they return to their original bulbar configuration due to the physical characteristics ofthe material from which they are molded. This assembly then consists of housing 13, check valves 14, 15, 16, 17, inner bulb 18, outer bulb 19, a retainer ring 21 which secures the outer bulb to the housing, a retainer ring 22 for securing the inner bulb to the housing, and a manifold 23 to which suitable tubes can be secured. The manifold may be provided with either one or two hose connecting ports; for instance, in FIGURE 2 the manifold 23 is provided with parallel ports to which side-by-side tubes 24, 25 are connected. In FIGURE 5 is shown a manifold 26 which replaces manifold 23 when desired, this manifold 26 being provided with a T-shaped port which connects the valve assembly with a single tube 27, see FIGURE 4.

The bulb and valve assembly is connected to a mouthpiece 11 by the tubes or tube. Mouthpiece 11 consists of a tongue-depressor 28, a flexible mask 29, a nose-clamp assembly 31, and a head band 32, see FIGURES 1 and 2. The tongue-depressor 28 may be provided With a grooved lower surface 33 such as that 3,291,121 Patented Dec. 13, 1966 ice shown in FIGURE 6. The tongue-depressor 28 shown in FIGURE 2 has two ports 34, 35 which interconnected with the tubes 24 and 25, respectively. The tongue-depressor of FIGURE 4 has a single port 36 which interconnects with tube 27.

The nose-clamp is shown in detail in FIGURE 7 wherein metallic arms 37 and 38 are shown covered with a'soft rubber or plastic which contacts the nose. Arms 37 and 38 are provided with handles 39, 41 which are squeezed together by the operator to open the nose-clamp prior to positioning the clamp on the nose of the patient.

Bulbs 18 and 19 are designed so that they have substantially equal working volumes, for instance, the volume of bulb 18 substantially equals the volume of bulb 19 minus the volume of bulb 18. Therefore, in FIGURE 2 volume A is substantially equal to volume B. These bulbs may be manufactured from rubber or any suitable polymer having the proper physical characteristics. The bulb when squeezed must be distortable and when released must return to its original bulbar configuration. Depending upon the materials used in manufacturing the bulbs, the wall thickness of the bulbs is varied to assure proper return of the bulbs to their original undistorted shape after outward forces are removed. The wall thicknesses of the bulbs are not necessarily equal, but rather the individual bulbs are designed to provide the proper return in use.

When this apparatus is used, the mouthpiece is inserted into the patients mouth and the nose-clamp, having been opened, is placed upon the nose of the patient and the clamp handles released. The head band is put into proper position to hold the mouthpiece in its proper position. With one hand the bulb assembly is successively compressed and then released to direct air into the lungs of the patient and then to remove spent air from the lungs of the patient. Any fluids are removed, including spent air, when the bulbs are released. The single port and single tube mouthpiece are preferred; however, a double tube arrangement such as that shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 can be uitilized if there is danger of a large volume of liquid being in the fluid removed from the patients lungs, as in drowning victims.

When the bulb assembly is squeezed, air in the outer bulb passes through check valve 15, thence through tube 25 and port 35 of the mouthpiece into the patients lungs. At the same time bulb 18 is squeezed and exhausted air which is within this bulb passes through check valve 17 and out of the valve assembly. When the bulbs are no longer squeezed and when they return to their original configuration, air from the patents lungs passes through port 34, tube 24 and thence through check valve 16 into inner bulb 18. As the outer bulb returns to its original configuration, air passes through check valve 14 to fill that volume between inner bulb 18 and outer bulb 19.

Various materials can be used in making the parts of this foolproof, maintenance-free apparatus. It has been found that a flexible resinous material such as rubber or polyethylene is especially suited for making the mask 29 and for covering the arms 37, 38 of the nose-clamp assembly 31. The bulb and valve assembly should be relatively nonbreakable. The bulbs can be fabricated of an elastomeric material such as rubber or resin. The valve assembly housing may be fabricated of a rigid plastic or a light metal such as aluminum can be used. The springs and balls of the check valves are preferably a noncorrosive metal.

Although the tubes, which interconnect the mouthpiece and valve assembly, are shown as flexible tubes or hose, it should be understood that a rigid tube assembly can be used so that the resuscitating device is in effect, a onepiece assembly.

Various modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A resuscitative apparatus comprising a valve assembly in a suitable housing and secured to one end of said housing a pair of squeeze-bulbs arranged one within the other, a mouthpiece and nose-clamp assembly, and secured to the other end of said housing opposite said pair of squeeze bulbs at least one tube interconnecting said mouthpiece and nose-clamp assembly and said valve assembly, said valve assembly consisting of two pairs of check valves, one pair of check valves being interconnected by a port with the outermost squeeze bulb to regulate inflow and exhaustion of fluid to the outermost bulb, the other pair of check valves being interconnected by a port to the innermost squeeze bulb to regulate inflow and exhaustion of fluid to the innermost bulb, one check valve of each pair being disposed to interconnect its port with the atmosphere, said pairs of check valves being disposed in relationship to each other whereby when said pair of bulbs is squeezed said one pair of check valves admits fluid to said mouthpiece and nose-clamp assembly while said other pair of check valves exhausts fluid to the atmosphere.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the squeeze-bulbs are a rubber composition.

4 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the volume of the innermost bulb is substantially equal to the volume of the outermost bulb minus the volume of the innermost bulb.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the effective volumes of the innermost and outermost bulbs are substantially equal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said bulbs is connected to said mouthpiece and nose-clamp assembly through its own individual port in said housing and through its own tube connecting said housing and said mouthpiece and nose-clamp assembly.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD A. G AUDET, Primary Examiner. CHARLES F. ROSENBAUM, Examiner. 

1. A RESUSCITATIVE APPARATUS COMPRISING A VALVE ASSEMBLY IN A SUITABLE HOUSING AND SECURED TO ONE END OF SAID HOUSING A PAIR OF SQUEEZE-BULBS ARRANGED ONE WITHIN THE OTHER, A MOUTHPIECE AND NOSE-CLAMP ASSEMBLY, AND SECURED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID HOUSING OPPOSITE SAID PAIR OF SQUEEZE BULBS AT LEAST ONE TUBE INTERCONNECTING SAID MOUTHPIECE AND NOSE-CLAMP ASSEMBLY AND SAID VALVE ASSEMBLY, SAID VALVE ASSEMBLY CONSISTING OF TWO PAIRS OF CHECK VALVES, ONE PAIR OF CHECK VALVES BEING INTERCONNECTED BY A PORT WITH THE OUTERMOST SQUEEZE BULB TO REGULATE INFLOW AND EXHAUSTION OF FLUID TO THE OUTERMOST BULB, THE OTHER PAIR OF CHECK VALVES BEING INTERCONNECTED BY A PORT TO THE INNERMOST SQUEEZE BULB TO REGULATE INFLOW AND EXHAUSTION OF FLUID TO THE INNERMOST BULB, ONE CHECK VALVE OF EACH PAIR BEING DISPOSED TO INTERCONNECT ITS PORT WITH THE ATMOSPHERE, SAID PAIRS OF CHECK VALVES BEING DISPOSED IN RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER WHEREBY WHEN SAID PAIR OF BULBS IS SQUEEZED SAID ONE PAIR OF CHECK VALVES ADMITS FLUID TO SAID MOUTHPIECE AND NOSE-CLAMP ASSEMBLY WHILE SAID OTHER PAIR OF CHECK VALVES EXHAUSTS FLUID TO THE ATMOSPHERE. 